Turn off the lights

Steve Minicola

The results of Penn’s Power Down Challenge 2011 are in—and the energy-saving outcomes are impressive. The three-week competition, which lasted from Nov. 1 through 20, challenged 15 campus buildings to reduce energy consumption and raise awareness about what the Penn community can do to conserve energy.

The Quad (pictured) and Franklin Building won the College House and Campus Building competitions, respectively. In total, the 15 participating buildings saved 113,778 kilowatt hours over 20 days, which is the equivalent of planting more than 2,000 trees, or taking 280 cars off the road for the entire length of the competition.

At the current rate, the buildings saved Penn nearly $10,000. If all buildings on campus followed suit, Penn would save about $2.2 million per year. For more information on the Power Down Challenge, go to www.upenn.edu/sustainability/powerdown.html.

Penn Current Express

Quoted Recently

“More companies are asking how they can separate themselves from the organization and instead tighten their connection to the game. The brand of FIFA is problematic but the game of soccer is still popular.”

— Kenneth L. Shropshire, director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, on how the FIFA corruption scandal has caused some sponsors to be less concerned about partnering with the powerful soccer organization. FIFA tends to have the most leverage when negotiating deals with companies, but experts are wondering whether sponsors will be able to demand clauses that allow them to leave in cases of corruption. (The Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2015)